How to Choose the Best Annuity IMO: Scored Checklist

Updated October 2026

Short answer: The best annuity IMO is the one that scores highest on what drives your business: written starting comp with a clear path beyond it, a deep carrier shelf, real case management and back office support, efficient contracting, book ownership and vesting terms in writing, useful sales tools and a transparent comp grid. Score each IMO from 0 to 2 on ten criteria and compare the totals.

Our job is to beat your current annuity commission.

Stuck at your current commission level, or simply want higher commission? Our sole purpose is to scale your business by beating your current commission levels. No matter your current commission level, if you meet our minimum requirements (solo producers have none), you automatically get higher commission than where you are today. Starting comp is for every producer, including new producers with no experience — there is no production minimum. If you have strong production to show, we contract you above our starting comp. Established agencies, financial advisors and financial firms, and healthcare agencies can earn much higher too. Submit your application, schedule a Zoom, and we review your current commission levels carrier by carrier and contract you above them — with full back office support, case management, carrier contracting and sales tools included.

See how we beat your current commission

Best annuity IMO scorecard: compare comp, carriers, case management, vesting and tools

What makes the best annuity IMO for you?

There's no single best annuity IMO for every producer. A high-volume indexed annuity writer, an agency with a downline, an advisor adding fixed annuities and a Medicare agency starting its first annuity cases each need something different. What separates a strong IMO from a weak one is evidence: numbers, terms and processes you can see in writing before you sign anything.

Use the scorecard below on every IMO you're considering, including the one you're with now.

The 10-point annuity IMO scorecard

Give each criterion 0, 1 or 2 points. Score 2 only when the IMO shows you the answer in writing.

#	Criterion	Scores 2 when…	Scores 0 when…
1	Starting comp and the path beyond it	Starting comp is written by carrier, product, term and issue age, with clear criteria for higher levels	Numbers are only verbal, or the answer is "it depends" with no schedule
2	Carrier depth	The carriers and product types you sell are contracted: fixed indexed, MYGA, SPIA, DIA, income riders, care-linked	A thin shelf, or a logo wall without contracts behind it
3	Case management	Pre-submission review to prevent NIGO, best-interest paperwork review, 1035 and transfer tracking, carrier follow-up through issue	"Send it to the carrier and call them if it stalls"
4	Back office	Help with commission questions, appointment and license tracking, AML and training-certificate tracking	No named process; you chase everything yourself
5	Onboarding speed	One streamlined contracting process with a clear checklist and status updates	Separate packets for every carrier and no visibility into status
6	Contracting and appointments	Appointments requested in every state where you're licensed, with a simple way to add carriers later	Appointment requests and follow-up are left to you
7	Book ownership, vesting and releases	Written terms covering who owns your book, when you're vested and how releases work	Vesting tied to quotas, ownership of your clients claimed, releases conditioned on payments
8	Marketing and sales tools	Rate tracking, quoting and planning calculators included; costs of optional programs disclosed up front	Tools are promised loosely and costs show up later
9	Comp grid transparency	You can review the grid before you contract	The grid appears only after you sign
10	Production requirements	Any minimums or quotas are disclosed in writing before you sign	Quotas surface later or are tied to comp or vesting

How to read your annuity IMO score

17 to 20: A strong candidate. Confirm the details in the contract.
12 to 16: Workable, but press on the weak spots before you commit.
Under 12: Keep looking.

Weight the criteria to fit your business. An agency should weight book ownership, vesting and releases heavily. A producer who writes mostly MYGAs should judge carrier depth by fixed-rate products, not indexed ones. And no IMO controls carrier approval times, so be wary of guaranteed turnaround promises when you score onboarding.

Questions to ask any annuity IMO before contracting

Which carriers do you contract directly, and which do you reach through a partner?
Can I see starting comp for the five products I write most, by issue-age band, before I sign?
What gets me beyond starting comp, and where is that written down?
Will you compare my current commission levels carrier by carrier and show me where you beat them?
Who reviews my applications before they go to the carrier, and what do they check?
How are commission questions, chargebacks and debit balances handled?
How will I know the status of each carrier appointment?
Which tools are included, and which marketing programs carry their own fees?
If I leave, what happens to my book, my trails and my carrier contracts?
Are there production minimums, and what happens if I miss one?

Annuity IMO red flags

A single headline comp number with no product-level schedule behind it.
Pressure to sign before you've read the agreement.
Recruiting pitches built on income claims or free leads.
Any suggestion that you replace clients' contracts to bring business over. A replacement has to be in the client's best interest and comes with state replacement rules.
Contract language that gives the IMO your client list.
Support that fades after contracting, with no named case process.

If your current IMO fails this test, see our guide on how to switch annuity IMOs. If you're still sorting out the acronyms, start with IMO vs FMO vs NGA.

Why producers choose BetterAnnuityComp.com

BetterAnnuityComp.com is exclusive to annuity commissions and powered by BetterLifeQuotes.com, an NGA/IMO Hybrid Distribution Organization. Here's what it brings to the scorecard:

Our job is to beat your current commission. Apply, schedule a Zoom, and we review your current commission levels carrier by carrier and contract you above them.
Published starting comp. Starting comp for every producer, with no experience requirement and no production minimum, and higher commission for strong producers, shown by carrier, product, term, option and issue age on the annuity carrier list. Starting comp tops out at 10% on the grid's highest-paying product, and 46 of the 68 carriers have a top starting rate of 7% or more. See how annuity commissions are structured.
Carrier depth. 68 annuity carriers and 345 products across fixed indexed, MYGA and fixed-rate, SPIA, DIA, income-rider, care-linked and flexible-premium deferred annuities.
Case management. Pre-submission review to prevent NIGO, best-interest and suitability paperwork review, 1035 exchange, transfer and rollover tracking, carrier follow-up and status updates through issue. See case management and support.
Back office. Commission questions and tracking, appointment and license tracking, AML and training-certificate tracking and carrier communication.
Swift onboarding. One streamlined contracting process across carriers, with appointments requested in the states where you're licensed.
Sales tools. Real-time annuity rate tracking across carriers, SPIA comparison and quoting software and retirement calculators for 72(t), Social Security benefits, RMDs and RMD and Stretch IRA planning.
Marketing and practice building. A retirement-income sales system with a structured review checklist, practice-building and scaling programs, full-service marketing, Roth conversion planning software, a Social Security seminar program and done-for-you client communications. Some marketing and practice-building programs are delivered by independent partners and may carry their own fees.
For agencies. Overrides on your downline's production, keep your existing agents and book, contracting and onboarding support for your team, vested from day one, ownership of your book, trails, renewals and hierarchy, and immediate releases granted as long as there is no outstanding debt to the carrier.

BetterAnnuityComp.com works with producers at every stage. Solo producers have no minimum requirements, so new producers with no experience start at our starting comp; financial advisors need 12+ months of continuous annuity experience, plus the licensing, E&O, AML and best-interest training requirements on the advisor application. Healthcare agencies are exempt from these requirements. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Can BetterAnnuityComp.com beat my current annuity commission?

That is our sole job: no matter your current commission level, if you meet our minimum requirements (solo producers have none), you automatically get higher commission than where you are today. Starting comp is for every producer, including new producers with no experience, and there is no production minimum. If you have strong production to show, we contract you above our starting comp, and established agencies, financial advisors and financial firms, and healthcare agencies can earn above it too. Submit your application, schedule a Zoom and share your current commission levels by carrier. We compare them carrier by carrier and contract you above them, with full back office support, case management, carrier contracting and sales tools included.

What is the best annuity IMO?

There's no single best IMO for every producer. The best fit is the one that scores highest on the criteria that matter to your business, such as written starting comp, carrier depth, case management, back office support, contract terms and comp transparency.

How many carriers should an annuity IMO offer?

Enough to cover every product type you sell, with more than one strong option in each. Count contracted products you'd actually recommend, not logos on a slide.

Is the highest starting comp the most important factor?

It matters, but compare comp on the products and issue-age bands you actually write. Case management, back office support and contract terms also affect how much of your work turns into issued business and what you keep if you leave.

Can I work with more than one annuity IMO?

Often, yes, for different carriers. For any single carrier, your contract generally sits under one upline at a time, and moving it usually requires a release. Carrier rules vary, so check before you contract.

What are the biggest red flags in an annuity IMO?

No written comp schedule, vesting tied to quotas, claims on your clients or book, income or free-lead promises, pressure to replace existing contracts and no clear process for reviewing cases before submission.

Sources

Run BetterAnnuityComp.com through the scorecard. Our job is to beat your current commission, carrier by carrier. Starting comp for every producer with no experience required, higher commission for strong producers, 68 carriers, case management and back office support are all on the table.

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